Friday, October 31, 2014

Recently, on the way back from an
official trip for academic purposes, the colleagues and me made a stop-over at
Amritsar for a day. We visited the 'Golden Temple' and the 'Jallianwalla Bagh' as
is almost mandatory for any visitor to Amritsar. However, I was anticipating
our visit to a place called the ‘Wagah border’ which is known to be the point
of entry into India from Pakistan and vice versa.

We actually didn’t plan to stroll in to
Pakistan territory, but were repeatedly advised to visit the ‘Wagah border’ by
people who had been there before. The reason for the interest in that place
seemed to emerge due to a daily exhibition of a ‘Beating retreat’ ceremony that
marks the lowering of flags of the two countries by their security forces on
each side of the border.

After making utter gluttons of ourselves
over the famous ‘Amritsari thalis’ and ‘Kulchas’, we set of for the border in
the heat of the afternoon with a jolly old Sardarji as our guide cum driver.

But as soon as we were dropped off about
one kilometer from the actual site of the event, I could sense a strange
feeling one experiences on arriving at a cricket match. There were people with
boxes of colors in one hand and brushes in the other literally chasing and
harassing the visitors to get the national flag painted on their face. Others
were harassing the visitors into buying snacks and bottles of water. The scene
appeared no less than a picnic spot. We somehow managed to escape those
harassers.

After half an hour worth’s walk in the
sun (which was a welcome option after all the over-eating) and surviving long
queues on at least three security check points, we finally reached the site of
action. The venue consisted of public stands made on either side of the Grand
Trunk road on each side of the border with a couple of gates separating the two
sides in the middle of the road.

We soon realized the futility of
reaching the stand comparatively early as all the over-excited spectators
decided to view the proceedings (even if nothing had begun yet) while standing.
We decided it better to move to the edge of the stand to be able to catch
glimpses by trying to stand on our toes.

Instantly, a tall man in a white sports
suit emerged with a mic in his hand and greeted all the spectators (on the
Indian side, obviously). He then gave a brief introduction about the ceremony
and notified everyone about the slogans that would be shouted.

It was then that we noticed rows of
chairs on each side of the road in front of the stands. And then we realized
that they were meant for VIP and VVIP visitors who wanted to have a ringside
view of the proceedings. We were still discussing whether those seats were paid
or not when suddenly movie songs suggestive of patriotism started playing on
the loudspeakers all around.

On seeing the crowd in the stands
bursting into a resounding cheer, I stood on my toes to see what it was all
about. And there, in the middle of the road were large groups of females of
various ages having the time of their lives dancing on the beats of the songs.

It looked rather like a typical ‘baraat’,
the only addition being a few Indian flags being waved by some of the enthusiastic
dancers. How the entire crowd comprehended it as something highly patriotic was
beyond me.

Soon, I could make out something very
similar going on across the other side of the border. The dancing, waving and
shouting continued for almost half an hour during which I had several bouts of
reasoning whether or not it was a mistake to visit this place.

Thankfully, this extravagant display of
patriotism ended and we saw a few of the troops marching out for what appeared
to be the serious part of the ceremony. But we soon realized that it was just
the formal part of the competition; a competition which the two countries
indulge in every day.

A competition about –

Whose troops are taller and smarter…

Whose commanding personnel can shout
louder and longer…

Whose soldiers are more aggressive in
the routine…

The crowd on which side can over-shout
the other…

And ultimately, who displays more
patriotism than the other.

While the dedication of the security
forces is unparalleled, it was really disheartening to see the results of the
ceremony which the crowds on either side of the border took away with them. A
sense of patriotism in any form is always welcome but what each country can do
without, especially at this point of time, is the sense of aversion, hostility
and distrust.

The mutual lowering of the national
flags should signify mutual trust and confidence between the two sides. The
flags are indeed lowered. But only after the crowd on each side is assured that
they are better than the other and the other side cannot be trusted.

It is ironic that on each side of the
border, on the monumental gateways bearing the names and flags of India and
Pakistan, there appear the pictures of the fathers of both the nations. It
seems as if people on both the sides are ready to take on each other on behalf
of their ‘father of the nation’.

But I’m sure that both M.K. Gandhi and
M.A. Jinnah wouldn’t have expected being forced to face off each other so many
years after independence.